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LONG AGO SERIES 


RED FEATHERS ADVENTURES 

A BOOK OF INDIAN LIFE AND TALES 
FOR THIRD AND FOURTH GRADES 

BY 

JANE CURTIS GIFFORD 

% \ 

PRTMARY TEACHER, SAINT LOUIS, MISSOURI 

AND 

E. GEORGE PAYNE, PH. D. 

PROFESSOR OF EDUCATION, COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY 

Illustrations by Anne L. Gifford 



LYONS & CARNAHAN 


CHICAGO 


NEW YORK 


PE//a 7 

■ I S'&rf 

I Z-3 


Copyright, 1923 
LYONS & CARNAHAN 


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t. 


JUN 30 *24 


©C1A793805 


Aa* [ 


PREFACE 


The first book of the Long Ago Series, Red Feather, 
was published in 1916, and the demand for this book has 
been so general that a second of the series is now making 
its appearance. The popularity of the first book is not a 
surprise, for the thirst of boys and girls for stories of the 
American Indian is insatiable. It is most fortunate that 
children of this age love the stories of the aboriginal Amer¬ 
icans, for the life of the Indians in America not only forms 
the background of American history, but his life in all its 
picturesqueness and conflict in pushing the Indian gradually 
back to the reservation, forms an intimate and inseparable 
part of our history from the founding of Jamestown and 
Plymouth till the present day. Because of the fact that 
Indian life forms a part of our history it is highly desirable 
to seize upon the native interest of children in the primary 
and intermediate grades. While responding to the vivid 
imaginations and interests of children in the primitive life, 
customs, and practices of the Indians, we are providing 
indispensable knowledge which to acquire later might prove 
irksome. We are at the same time introducing young 
readers to American history in a way that will make them 
love it instead of finding it a task. 

This book is designed for the third and fourth grades, 
and as such will serve a number of purposes. It will give 
children an intimate knowledge of life of the Indians in 
the central Mississippi valley. It will acquaint them with 
their customs, their means of acquiring a livelihood, their 
hardships, and their daily practices. All this knowledge is 
necessary to an adequate appreciation of the complex and 


varied life of the children of the present day. The book will, 
furthermore, add another bit of material for practice in 
reading, and the interest in the subject-matter itself will 
afford sufficient motive for inducing the reading necessary 
for drill in a newly acquired art. 

In presenting Red Feather in a new country to the 
children and teachers of America the authors feel that they 
have made possible for them many happy hours: happy 
hours for the children because they will read the story 
eagerly with profit; happy hours for the teacher because 
the book will lighten her work through the effective use she 
will make of it. 

We wish here to acknowledge our indebtedness to the 
author of Red Feather, Miss Margaret E.Morcomb, to Miss 
Tillie C. Geeks, Primary Supervisor in the St. Louis Schools 
for valuable aid, and to Miss Genevieve Apgar and Miss 
Margaret McLaughlin, Instructors in English in the Harris 
Teachers’ College for suggestions and for English correc¬ 
tions. 

The facts of Indian life and customs that are brought 
into the story are based upon those given in Schoolcraft’s 
Indian Tribes of the United States , in Jenks’ Wild Rice 
Gatherers of the Upper Lakes, in the reports of the Smith¬ 
sonian Institution, the American Antiquarian Society, the 
American Museum of Natural History, and the Publications 
of the Carnegie Institute. The legends in the book are 
retold for these grades from Schoolcraft’s Indian Fairy 
Tales, and from Spence’s Myths of the North American 
Indians. 


THE AUTHORS. 


4 


CONTENTS 


Page 

Red Feather’s Adventure. 7 

Enemies. 18 

The Journey . 22 

The Rice Gatherers. 36 

Red Feather Finds a Friend. 43 

The Long March. 56 

The Camp of the Plains Tribe. 69 

Red Feather’s Life on the Plains. 75 

Soheeda . 84 

The Sweat-Lodge. 91 

The Buffalo Dances. 99 

The Buffalo Hunt. 105 

Winter Evenings in the Tepee.110 

Soheeda’s Story .114 

Red Feather’s Story.124 

Lone Wolf’s Death. 135 

Red Feather’s Vision.144 

Red Feather’s Departure.• •.155 


5 















































RED FEATHER’S ADVENTURE 

“Hi, Red Feather! Get your bow and 
arrows, and come with us!” 

Three Indian boys, each carrying- a small 
bow and a skin quiver full of arrows, ran up 

to the wigwam of their comrade. Red 
Feather looked up from a spear that he was 
making. 


7 









“Where are you going?” he asked. 

“We are going hunting,” said Falling 
Star, the tallest of the three. “I have some 
new arrows that my grandfather made for 
me. Come with us.” 

“No,” said Red Feather, “I am going fish¬ 
ing this morning.” 

“Good fishing to you, then,” said Falling 
Star. “We are off.” 

The three boys ran on their way, shouting 
to each other as they went. 

Red Feather had arisen early that morn¬ 
ing to see the men of the village start off on 
a hunting trip. The little boy hoped that Big 

Eagle, his father, would bring home a deer. 
Then he might have the new deer-skin 
jacket that his mother had promised to make 
for him. 


8 


His mother, Morning 1 Star, could make 
beautiful jackets. She made many other 
beautiful thing's, too. Red Feather liked 
sometimes to watch her making baskets from 
dried sweet grass. She had gone that morn¬ 
ing with the other women to gather some 
sweet grass near the river. Red Feather’s 
sister, White Cloud, and the other children 
had gone to help them. They would be away 
all the morning. 



9 











Red Feather worked on alone, making his 

» 

spear. When it was finished, he went down 
to the river to catch fish with it. He watched 
quietly from the bank of the stream for a 
long time, but no fish came near. 

“I am tired of fishing,” said Red Feather 
at last. “I shall get my canoe.” 

He ran quickly to the place where his 
canoe lay, and soon had it floating in the 
stream. Where should he go? He thought 
of the day, long ago, when Big Eagle had 
taken him down the stream as far as the Big 
Sea Water. They had taken furs to trade 
for wampum with the Indians who lived 
there. Red Feather remembered what fun 
it had been to shoot the rapids. He liked to 
stand up in the canoe and guide it as it rushed 
swiftly between the dangerous rocks. He re- 


10 


membered how cosy it had been, when night 
came, to roll up in a bear skin and sleep be¬ 
side the stream. 

How he longed to go again! Big Eagle 
had promised that when Red Feather was 
older, he might take his own canoe through 
the rapids. Surely he was old enough to do 
that now! Only a few days ago Big Eagle 
had praised his son for winning in the canoe 
races. Perhaps Big Eagle thought that Red 
Feather was old enough now to shoot the 
rapids. 

“I shall ask him,” thought Red Feather. 
“But what fun it would be to surprise him. 
I’ll shoot the rapids alone. Coming back, I 
can carry my canoe, as my father did, past 
the swift places in the stream.” 

Red Feather knew that he would be 


11 


hungry. He returned to the wigwam to get 
a little bag of parched corn. He put this, 
together with his bow and arrows and his 
spear, into his canoe. He would not need a 
fur robe, he thought, because he would be 
back before it was time to sleep. How proud 
Big Eagle would be when Red Feather re¬ 
turned in the evening! 

There was a cool breeze blowing as the 
canoe slid along in the water. The little trav¬ 
eler heard his feathered friends singing in 



12 






















the tall trees along the shore. He heard the' 
squirrels chatting gaily as they leaped from 
branch to branch. He passed a brooklet that 
tumbled, laughing, into the river. Almost 
within reach, a fish jumped out of the river, 

l 

and then disappeared. 

“Oh,” thought Red Feather, “what a day 
to go on a long journey alone!” 

He paddled on, always looking ahead for 
the rapids. The sun climbed up and up, until 
the little canoe made almost no shadow on 
the water. When Red Feather became 
hungry, he ate some of the parched corn that 
he had brought with him. Then, dipping his 
hands into the stream, he drank some of its 
cool water. This refreshed him so that he 
could go on more swiftly. 

Soon he heard the splashing of the water 


13 





as it struck the rocks that made the rapids. 
Standing up, with his paddle in his hands, he 
was all ready to guide the boat through the 
sharp rocks ahead. Now the water was 
foaming, as if it were angry because the 
rocks stood in its path. On it rushed, carry¬ 
ing the canoe with it. Once Red Feather 
nearly tipped over. He knew that those 
sharp rocks could tear holes in the thin birch 
bark of his canoe. But the little Indian boy 


14 













was not afraid. He kept his feet steady and 
held the paddle tightly. In a few moments 
he was again floating on smooth water. 

What fun it was! How he wished that 
there were more rapids in the stream! What 
would Two Rabbits and Falling Star and 
Little Wound and the other boys say when 
they knew that Red Feather could shoot the 
rapids all alone? Surely they would wish 
that they had come with him instead of going 
hunting! But it was hard work to shoot the 
rapids. Red Feather was tired. 

“I think that I shall rest here,” he said. 
“Then I can carry my canoe back past the 
rapids, and start for home.” 

He guided the canoe in among some tall 

rushes that grew along the shore. He did 

not want to be found, alone, by any Indians 

15 


who were not friendly with his father. After 
Red Feather had hidden his canoe, it could 
not be seen by anyone who might be travel¬ 
ing down the stream. 

While he was looking for a good place to 
rest, Red Feather found some ripe berries. 
The berries tasted very good to him, for he 
had not had much to eat since morning. 
When he had eaten enough, he lay down in 
some tall grass in the shade of a tree. 



16 
































































He knew that the sun had started on its 
homeward course toward the west, for the 
birds in the trees were quiet. But this was 
the time that the little creatures in the grass 
—the insects—liked best. When the sun 
shone hottest, they liked to buzz, buzz, buzz 
on their tiny tom-toms. Red Feather smiled, 
for he liked their buzzing; and smiling, he 
fell asleep. 



17 











ENEMIES! 


Crackle! Crackle! 

Red Feather opened his eyes in surprise. 
But he did not move. Big Eagle had taught 
him to watch everything, but to let nothing 
watch him. And so, when he heard some¬ 
thing moving about, and rustling the dry 
twigs underfoot, Red Feather hardly 
breathed. He had been lying on his back, 
and he listened without turning his head. 

The crackling came nearer. Red Feather 
knew that it was no four-footed creature that 
was coming. It must be a man, because there 
were two steps, and then a pause; two steps, 
and then a pause. Soon a shiny head ap¬ 
peared above the long grass. Another step, 
and two dark eyes looked down at Red 


18 


























































Feather. The boy was frightened, but he did 
not cry out. Indian boys do not let anyone 
know when they are afraid. 

The stranger stepped out of the grass, 
and came toward Red Feather. The boy 

knew that this tall stranger did not belong 
to his people. Perhaps this warrior belonged 
to one of the tribes that lived in the north— 
the Land of the Pines. 

Red Feather had heard many stories 
about these fierce people. Their warriors 
were very brave and very cruel. They were 
always at war with their neighbors. In fact, 
Red Feather could see that the stranger be¬ 
fore him now was on the war-path, for his 
face was painted with war-paint. It was no 
wonder that the little boy was frightened! 

Red Feather stood up and took a step 
backward. The stranger put out a hand as 


20 



if to stop him, but the boy turned and ran 
swiftly toward a clump of trees. But the 
warrior was quicker. In a moment he was 
at Red Feather’s heels. Red Feather, turn¬ 
ing to look behind him, stumbled, and hit his 
head as he fell. The stranger stopped. At 
his feet lay Red Feather, quite still. 



21 























































THE JOURNEY 


When Red Feather again opened his eyes, 
everything was dark. He was lying in the 
bottom of a long canoe. Kneeling in the 
bow of the canoe was the strange warrior. 
The boy knew that there was another person 
in the stern of the boat, for he could hear 
the dip, dip, dip of two paddles in the water. 

Slowly he remembered everything that 
had happened since the morning. What 


22 












t 


would Big - Eagle think had become of him? 
Even now, perhaps, Big Eagle and the other 
men of the village were out looking for him. 
Would they think of coming down the river 
after him? Surely they would see that Red 
Feather’s canoe was gone! But Red Feather 
was afraid that they could not overtake these 
men who were traveling so fast in the night. 

He wondered where they were going. 
Neither of them spoke a word, but paddled 
on in silence. Red Feather did not let them 
know that he was awake. He had not stirred, 
except to open his eyes. Over him the stars 
blinked down, as if they were crying because 
he was unhappy. But Red Feather did not 
cry. Off in the distance a wolf howled. Now 
and then an owl hooted among the birches 
that Red Feather knew stood along the bank 

23 


of the stream. But no one spoke in the canoe 
that slid along in the river. All was still, 
except for the steady dip, dip, dip of the 
paddles. 

When they had traveled like this for a 
long time, they seemed to Red Feather to be 
farther and farther from the bank on each 

side of the river. The calls of the night birds 
became fainter. Red Feather knew then 
that the canoe was passing through the part 
of the river that was very wide, just before 
it joined the Big Sea Water. Here it was 
that he had come with Big Eagle to trade 
with the friendly Indians. If only Red 
Feather could reach those Indians now, he 
would be safe. 

But Red Feather’s friends were sleeping. 
To awaken them, he would have to call. If 

24 


I 


he called, the man who sat behind him in the 
canoe might harm him. He was sure that 
the strangers knew of the village which they 
were passing. They bent low over the canoe, 
as if to hide. The water carried them swiftly 
now, out past the sleeping Indian village, out 
past the sound of owls and wolves, out into 
the waves of the Big Sea Water. On and on 
they went, until late into the night. 

At last the canoe was pointed toward the 
land. Once there, the warrior whom Red 
Feather had run away from that day jumped 
out of the boat. The other one leaned over 
Red Feather and shook him, as if to waken 
him. The man motioned to the boy to follow 
him. Red Feather obeyed. This warrior 
looked even more terrible than the first. His 
face was painted. His body was big and 

25 


strong. Red Feather would have been afraid 
not to do as he was told. 

The strangers talked now in a language 
that Red Feather did not understand. They 
found a place to spend the night, but they 
did not make a fire. Perhaps they were 
afraid that some enemy might see them. One 
of them sat up to keep watch. The other lay 
down to sleep, and made signs to Red Feather 
to lie down, too. Red Feather lay down, but 
he did not fall asleep. After a time the two 
men changed places. They took turns keep¬ 
ing watch in this way all night. 

Red Feather watched, too, and listened. 

All night long he listened, hoping to hear 

sounds of some one coming to help him. He 

thought of Morning Star and of White Cloud, 

waiting in the wigwam at home to see if Big 

26 


Eagle would return from his search, with 
Red Feather. 

But Big Eagle did not come to search for 
Red Feather. No one came. Except for the 
cries of the creatures who hunt in the woods 
at night, Red Feather heard nothing. At 
last, one by one, the stars faded away. 

Then the strange men arose and made 
signs to the boy to get into the canoe. They 
took sticks, and made smooth the sandy 
beach where they had slept. When all of 
their tracks had been covered, they pushed 
off the canoe, and continued their journey 
over the Big Sea Water. 

They did no harm to Red Feather. They 
did not even notice him. When they had 
paddled for a long while, they camped again 
on the shore. They caught fish and cooked 

27 



them. They gave Red Feather all the food 
that he wanted. He was glad of that, for he 
was very hungry. When they had eaten, 
they again went on their way. 

Red Feather and the two warriors trav¬ 
eled in this way for many days. They arose 
early every morning, and were well on their 
way before the sun appeared. Sometimes 
one of the men surprised a deer as it crept 
softly down to the water to drink. Then they 

did not hurry on, but camped long enough 

28 












to prepare some of the meat to take with 

« 

them. 

Sometimes they had nothing - but fish to 
eat for a long time. Often Red Feather did 
the fishing. He was a very good fisherman. 
Sometimes they had to live on little blue ber¬ 
ries that grew in the sand along the shore of 
the lake. Red Feather often longed for some 
of the good bread that Morning Star used 



29 






















to make from corn. He was beginning to 

» 

think that he would never see his home again. 

There were many strange things along 
the way that Red Feather had never seen be¬ 
fore. He had never seen such long-legged 
birds as those which hunted for food at the 
edge of the water. He did not know there 
were such big fish as those which could be 

caught in the Big Sea Water. He was sur- 

% 

prised once to see a large moose swimming 
across a lake. 

But what surprised Red Feather most was 
the Great Falling Water. One morning, in¬ 
stead of setting out on the water as usual, 
the two men lifted the canoe above their 
heads and struck out across the land. Red 
Feather carried their little store of supplies. 
They walked thus for many days, camping 

30 


in the woods at night. One day Red Feather 
thought that he heard thunder. 

“The thunder-birds are quarreling/’ he 
said to himself. “But I do not see the rain 
clouds.” 

The sound of thunder continued. The 
farther they walked, the louder the noise 
became. The two warriors did not seem the 
least bit surprised. They seemed to know 
what the noise was. But Red Feather was 
frightened. He had never heard so terrible 
a roaring. He wanted to run away from 
the noise, and to hide among the trees, but 
one of the men motioned to him to go on. 
He could not understand what could be mak¬ 
ing the loud rumbling sound that no one 
except him seemed to mind. 

Slowly he followed the two men along a 

31 



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32 






























forest path that was leading them back to 
the edge of the water. Suddenly before Red 
Feather’s startled eyes there was the most 
wonderful sight that he had ever seen. 

The water of a great river was falling, 
falling, falling—dashing far down below. 
Here was what had made the noise like thun¬ 
der! Red Feather trembled at the sound. As 

the water fell, white foam splashed high into 
the air. Red Feather thought that he had 

never seen anything so beautiful. He wished 
that his friends at home might see this Great 
Falling W ater. 

But the warriors who had snatched Red 
Feather away from his friends did not linger 
long at the Great Falling Water. Perhaps 
they had often seen it. Perhaps they were 
in a hurry to return to their own people. No 

33 



doubt they had been sent to spy upon Big' 
Eagle’s tribe. Perhaps they wanted to see 
how many warriors he had, and how strong 
those warriors were. 

Red Feather’s father was a great war 
chief, and, of course, he had many enemies. 
Perhaps that was why his little son had been 
stolen. But even these two strong warriors 
who had stolen him would not have liked to 
see brave Big Eagle and his war party over¬ 
take them. So they hurried on to their home. 

For a long, long time they traveled; now 
by water, now by land. Red Feather thought 
that it must have been two moons since he 
had seen his mother and his father. It would 
not be long until the breath of the North 
Wind would be sending all the birds to the 
south. Already the trees were losing their 

34 


gay dresses. Every night, now, Red Feather 
shivered as he slept without his robe of warm 
bearskin. 

Was this journey never going to end? 
Would he have to travel in this way all 
through the cold winter? Many times he 
wondered where he was going, and how long 
it would take to go there. 





35 












THE RICE GATHERERS 
One morning Red Feather was awakened 
by the excited voices of the two warriors. He 
could not understand what they were saying, 
but he knew that something very important 
was about to happen. They had found some 

36 




































I 


bright-colored clay, and were putting fresh 
paint on their faces. 

“They are getting ready to meet some 
one,” thought Red Feather. “Perhaps this 
long journey is at an end at last.” 

When the warriors had finished painting 
themselves, they hid their canoe under some 
thick bushes. Then, taking Red Feather be¬ 
tween them, they set out through the woods. 
Soon Red Feather found himself climbing a 
low hill. Another strange sight met his eyes 
as he reached its top. 

A pleasant valley lay before him. Dotted 
thickly over it, almost as far as he could see, 

were hundreds of wigwams. The people in 

0 ^ 

them were just beginning to awaken. Red 
Feather could see the smoke as it curled 
slowly from the many newly-lighted fires. 

37 


He could see the women preparing - the morn¬ 
ing meal before the doors of the wigwams. 
In the center of the valley Red Feather could 
see a handsome wigwam, larger than the 
rest. 

“That must be a chiefs home,” thought 
the little boy. “But surely this is not all one 
village! Perhaps there is a meeting place 
here for many villages.” 

Red Feather was right. This was no 
single village that he saw. Every year, in 
the Moon of the Harvests, many Indians 
traveled to the lakes of the north. They trav¬ 
eled there by whole tribes to gather the wild 
rice that grew in the marshes at the edge 
of the lakes. This wild rice they carried 
back to their homes. They used it for food 
when everything else was covered by the 


heavy snows of winter. Each season, when 
their wild crops were gathered, they stayed 

on long enough to hold many feasts to¬ 
gether. Their chiefs held many councils, too. 

Then, when the first cool breezes warned 
them, each tribe returned to its home. 

But the two warriors did not give Red 
Feather much time to wonder why so many 
people were gathered in one place. They 
hurried him down the hill. As soon as the 
people saw the two warriors and Red Feather 
approaching, they came to welcome them. 
They seemed to know the warriors, and to be 
very glad to see them. 

Every one crowded around Red Feather. 

A - 1 

The boy was very much frightened, because 
he knew that all these strangers were his 
father’s enemies. Perhaps they were going 


to kill him! Perhaps that was why he had 
been brought here. Where could he hide? 
How could he get away? He looked all 
around him. But no; he would not run away. 
He would show them that the son of a brave 
chief was not afraid, although he was only a 
little boy! 

Red Feather was taken straight to the 
Chief’s lodge. The chief, who was sitting in 
his doorway, arose when the crowd of people 
came toward him. He was very tall, and was 
dressed in a beautiful buffalo robe. From his 
head hung a gay war bonnet made of eagle 
feathers. Not even Big Eagle had a war 
bonnet like that! Red Feather felt very 
small beside this great Chief, but he held his 
head very high, and looked up into the great 
man’s eyes. 


40 



41 




























The two warriors and Red Feather en¬ 
tered the Chiefs lodge. There was much 
talking in the strange language. Red 
Feather could only guess that the men were 
telling their Chief about the long journey. 

At last the Chief arose, and called to a 
woman to come and care for the boy. She 
took him to her lodge, and put food before 
him. As Red Feather passed some of the 
lodges he could see that the people were get¬ 
ting ready for a feast. Men were painting 
their faces; women were preparing food. In 
the excitement that followed, no one seemed 
to think about the lonesome little boy. 


42 


RED FEATHER FINDS A FRIEND 

The woman who had been told to watch 
over Red Feather was very busy. Perhaps 
she, too, had things to prepare for the feast. 
She left the boy eating, and went to join the 
other women. Red Feather was not very 
hungry. And so, after the woman had left, 
he slipped out of the lodge and looked about 
him. 

At the far end of the valley he could see 
an open space. Toward'it all the people of the 
camp were making their way. A large fire 
had been kindled there. Red Feather could 
hear the shouting of the boys and the bark¬ 
ing of the dogs as they played about the leap¬ 
ing flames. Soon they became more quiet; 

43 


then he knew that the chiefs were taking 
their places. In a little while, no doubt, he 
would be brought before them. 

Red Feather turned away sadly. He 
wandered in and out among the lodges, mak¬ 
ing his way toward a little grove of trees. As 
he passed the last lodge, he heard a woman’s 
voice, crying. He stood still. What was 
that? He listened again. The voice, talking, 
• not in the strange language, but in the 
tongue of his own people, began again: 

“Oh, W T akantanka! Oh, Great Mystery! 

* 

Why have you taken my little Zeecha, my 
little hunter, from me? He was so good, so 
happy all the day! Ah, I can see him now, 
coming home from his play hunt with a rab¬ 
bit for me. How he laughed for joy when 
I was proud of his hunting! He promised 

44 


that he would hunt for me always. Never 
have I been so unhappy since the time when 
I was taken from my own people. How he 
loved their songs and stories! Now there is 
no one to whom I can talk in the language 
that I love so well. Oh, Wakantanka, send 
my little one back to me!” 

Red Feather was so much surprised that 
he did not move. Who was this who spoke 
his language in this strange country? Was 
that a spirit voice, or was a real person talk¬ 
ing? Red Feather slipped around to the door 
of the lodge. He pulled back the door flap, 
and looked in. There on the floor sat a squaw. 
Her face was blackened. She did not look up 
when Red Feather stepped inside, but con¬ 
tinued to rock back and forth as she cried 
aloud to the Great Spirit. 


45 


“Good mother,” said the boy, “here is one 
who can speak that language.” 

“Ah,” cried the poor woman, “is it possible 
that the Great Spirit has heard my prayer? 
Is this my boy returned to me?” 

She jumped to her feet, and, taking Red 
Feather by the shoulders, turned him around 
to the light. 

“No,” she said sadly, “you are not my son. 
But who are you? Where did you come 
from?” 

Red Feather then told the woman of his 
people. He told her that he was the son of 
the famous chief, Big Eagle, and that his 
mother was Morning Star. He told her of 
his long trip across the water and the land 
with the two strange, fierce-looking Indians. 
He would have told her more—how he was 


46 



captured and brought away against his will, 
but she interrupted him. 

“Red Feather,” she cried, “I know your 
father, Big Eagle. I know Morning Star, too. 
Your people are my people. My name is Star 
Eyes. I, too, was snatched away from them 
and brought here among strangers. I was 
sold to a tribe from the plains. They and 
all these other tribes come here every sum¬ 
mer to get the wild rice. 

“I married one of their warriors, and I was 
very happy. My little boy was about as old as 
you when a Spirit of Sickness came to him. 
The Medicine Man tried to cure him, to drive 
out the Bad Spirit, but he could not. At last 
my little Zeecha was taken away by Wakan- 
tanka, the Great Mystery. My boy’s father, 
the brave Lone Wolf, and I were very sad. For 

47 


many days we mourned after our dear one 
died. We did not want to come with the tribe 
to gather rice, so sad were we. But our Chief, 
Two Bears, bade all the people come. We 
loved our Chief, who had been very kind to 
us, and we obeyed him.” 

“Oh, Star Eyes,” said Red Feather, “I am 
glad that you came here. I am glad that I 
have found some one to talk to among these 
strange people. I am very lonesome. I long 

to see my father and my mother once more. 

# 

I am glad that I have found a friend.” 

And the brave little Indian boy, who was 
too proud to let his enemies see him cry, sat 
down on the floor of the lodge and wept with 
the unhappy mother. 

“Red Feather,” said the woman, “be not 
sad. I will try to care for you as your own 

48 


mother did. I am sure that the Great Spirit 
sent you to me in the place of my son. Lone 
Wolf will be kind to you, too. Perhaps you 


She was interrupted by voices outside the 
lodge. Several young men stepped inside. 
One of them spoke to Star Eyes in the strange 
language. Then they made signs to Red 
Feather to follow them. He turned to see 
whether Star Eyes was coming. 

* 

“Be not afraid, my son,” she said. “They 
are going to take you before a council of the 
chiefs. Remember that Lone Wolf and I are 
your friends.” 

“I fear not,” said Red Feather, and he 
went with the men who had come for him. 

As Red Feather approached the place 
where all of the people had gathered, he 

49 



could see that the feast was over. Grouped 
about the council of chiefs and old men were 
first the young warriors, and then, behind 
them, the women and maidens. Around the 
edge of the crowd the children pushed each 
other about, trying to hear what the speaker, 
the Great Chief whose men had captured Red 
Feather, was saying. Star Eyes, who was 
standing beside Red Feather, whispered to 
her newly-found son these words of the old 
Chief: 

“My friends, we have spent a happy time 
together. The Great Spirit has been good to 
his children. He has given us much of the 
rice to keep us when all the earth is frozen, 
and we cannot hunt for our food. He has 
been kind to me, too, in my wars. My war¬ 
riors and I have added many scalps of our 

50 


enemies to our belts since last we gathered 
here. We hope that this will be true again 
when we meet. Only today our scouts re¬ 
turned with news of enemies still to be over- 
come. Remember that our victories are your 
victories, for we are friends and relatives. 
Many of my young men have found wives 
among the people here. 

“This is our last day together. To¬ 
morrow some of you will start on your long 
journey back to the plains of the Southland. 
Some will ride toward the Land of the Setting 
Sun. A few will remain in this wonderful 
country of Blue Waters. My people and I 
will turn our faces toward the Land of the - 
Pines, where the North Wind already is on 
the war path. All of us will go in happiness, 
for the Great Spirit has been good to his chil- 

51 


dren. Ugh! I have spoken!” 

When the great Chief had finished, other 

chiefs arose and spoke. Many promises of 
friendship were given between the tribes. 
Then, after the pipe was smoked by the war¬ 
riors, the people returned to their lodges, 
in order to be able to start early in the morn¬ 
ing. The chiefs, still smoking, remained 
seated in their circle. To them several braves 
guided the boy, Red Feather. Star Eyes fol¬ 
lowed close behind. 

“Who is this?” asked the Great Chief. 
“Oh, ’tis the strange boy—the son of Big 
Eagle.” 

“Great Chief,” cried Star Eyes, “let me 
take this boy home with me!” 

Then she told the Chief of her own lost 
son; of her grief, and of her husband’s grief 

52 



at the boy’s death. She told him how she had 
stayed away from the feast and mourned; 
and how, as she sat alone, crying to the Great 
Spirit, this boy, who spoke her own dear lan¬ 
guage, had come along to comfort her. 
Surely the Great Spirit had sent him to her! 

The Chief of the Northern Tribe looked at 
the woman. Then, seeing that she was one of 

53 















the Plains People, he looked at her Chief, Two 
Bears. At first Two Bears was very angry. 
Who was this woman who brought disgrace 

•y 

to his tribe by breaking into a council of 
chiefs? She should be punished for it! 

But when the kind old Chief, Two Bears, 
saw how happy the boy had made Star Eyes, 
and when he remembered how sad she and 
her husband had been, he was sorry for her. 
He turned to the warriors, and called Lone 
Wolf to him. Lone Wolf, too, was ashamed 
for what Star Eyes had done. Surely she 
knew that a woman should never interrupt 

t 

a council of chiefs! 

i 

The Great Chief turned to Lone Wolf. 

“Is it you who lost a son?” he asked. 
“And,” he went on, “do you want to have this 
boy take his place?” 

» 

Lone Wolf looked from the frightened 

51 . 


little boy to his unhappy wife. He thought of 
the little Zeecha, whom he had hoped would 
one day be a great warrior. How many things 
he had planned to teach him—to hunt, to 
know the woods and plains and mountains, 
and to be a fighter! Now Zeecha was gone, 
but here was some one who could help to take 
his place. 

“If my Chief is willing, I will take the 
boy,” said Lone Wolf. 

“It is well,” said Two Bears. 

“Then take him, now, to your lodge, for it 
is late,” said the Great Chief to Star Eyes. 

Star Eyes was very happy. She led Red 

Feather back to her lodge. There she fed 
him, and then gave him a comfortable place 
to sleep. Red Feather was a long, long, way 
from his home, but at least he was with 
friends. 


55 


THE LONG MARCH 


Red Feather awoke the next morning to 
find Star Eyes leaning over him, calling 
softly: 

“Be up, little son, and do not hold on to 

your sleep so long. I know that you are tired, 
but you must still journey a long way before 
you rest. Already the other women are 

ready to leave. I am the last to break camp.” 

So saying, she roused Red Feather from 
his sleep. Outside of the tent she had pre¬ 
pared his morning meal. As he ate, he 
noticed, not far away, a curly-haired dog. 
The dog did not take his eyes from Red 
Feather. When Red Feather tossed him a 
bone, he ate it hungrily. Then, wagging his 

56 


tail, he came over and sat beside the little boy. 
Red Feather patted him, and knew that they 
would always be friends. Star Eyes, who had 
been busy with her packing, saw what had 
happened. She smiled and said, 

“I see that you like my good Hacheda. 
Bring him to me, now, and help me to harness 
him.” 

Red Feather was surprised, but he did as 
he was told. Surely Star Eyes was not going 
to harness the pack to Hacheda! Carrying a 

pack was squaw-work. He was surprised, 
also, to see that Star Eyes had taken off the 

buffalo skins that covered the lodge, and 
rolled them into bundles. His own mother, 
Morning Star, could never have done that. 
Her lodge covering was made of the stiff 
bark of the birch tree. 

57 







58 






















“It is easy to travel with such wigwams,” 
said Red Feather. 

“Yes,” answered Star Eyes. “But, Red 
Feather, these homes of skin are called 
tepees.” 

As she spoke she fastened a long pole on 
each side of Hacheda. Across these two poles 
she tied one of the bundles that she had 
packed. Star Eyes noticed that Red Feather 
was surprised to see the dog harnessed so. 

“Red Feather,” she said, “you are sur¬ 
prised to see Hacheda working for me. I, too, 
saw a dog carry the pack for the first time 
when I came to these people. But wait. 
There will be a greater surprise soon. Come, 
we must hurry now. Look after Hacheda for 
me, Red Feather.” 

She picked up the rest of her bundles, and 

59 


went on ahead. Red Feather had a hard time 
to follow her, because the dog - darted here 
and there. Many other women and children 
were going - the same way, some carrying 
their own loads, some chasing dogs that car¬ 
ried loads. 

Whenever the boys caught sight of Red 
Feather, they stopped shouting for an in¬ 
stant, and stared at him. Red Feather stared, 
too, and felt very uncomfortable. He wished 
more than ever that he was at home, playing 
with his own friends. He wished—but in the 
middle of that wish he stopped, for before 
him he saw a strange sight. Scattered over 
a meadow, eating the last of the summer’s 
grass, wandered a herd of large animals. 

“What funny deer!” said Red Feather. 

Star Eyes laughed. 


60 




“They are not deer,” she said. “They are 
horses.” 

“Will the braves shoot them? Did they 
catch them in the hunt?” asked the boy. 

“No, Red Feather,” answered Star Eyes. 
“They do not hunt for horses on the prairies 
as they do for the buffalo. Horses can be 
found only near the dwelling's of men. These 
horses that you see were taken by our brave 
young 1 men from the camp of our enemies. 
Our people will ride them on their long 
march to their homes. You will have to ride 


61 


















with me, my son, for though Lone Wolf is 
a brave hunter, he has not many horses.” 

Red Feather did not answer. He was not 
sure that he wanted to ride on any horse. 
Star Eyes might ride, and he would walk. 
But as he came near the meadow, he began 

to change his mind. On all sides of him 
brave warriors were mounting horses and 
riding away slowly. 



62 















Here and there a man found his own 
horse, and then rounded up several more 
that he drove to where his wife or mother 
was standing. Red Feather had stood watch¬ 
ing only for a moment when he saw Lone 
Wolf ride up to Star Eyes, point to a small 
brown animal that grazed near her, and then 
turn to join the other departing warriors. 
Star Eyes began at once to load the bundles 
that she carried upon the horses. Then she 
called to Red Feather. 

“Come, my almost-son,” she said, “there 
is the horse that we are to ride.” 

Red Feather would not have mounted the 
horse at all, but he saw not far away the 
same boy who had watched him as he left 
the camp with Star Eyes. Red Feather did 
not want this boy to see that he was afraid 

63 



of the horse. He jumped lightly to a place 
in front of Star Eyes. At first he was afraid 
that he would fall off, but soon he was en¬ 
joying his ride very much. 


Star Eyes and Red Feather were among 
the first to fall in line behind the warriors. 
Behind them walked the little brown horse 
that carried all of Star Eyes’ belongings. 
Once, when Red Feather looked back, he 
was surprised to see how many people rode 

64 












behind him. He could not see the end of the 
line until the trail curved. Then he caught 
sight of the band of warriors who followed 
the last of the women and children. Now 
and then a warrior rode up beside them, in 
order to keep the people from all danger. 

Red Feather did not know what to think 
of this careful guarding of the people. Were 
they in the country of an enemy? He asked 
Star Eyes about it. 

“No,” she answered, “but this country is 
not like our old home, Red Feather. There, 
when the people travel, they have the forest 
for protection. Were you not taught by 
your father how to glide among the shadows 
of the trees so quietly that not even a pine 
needle moved under your soft moccasins?” 

“Yes,” said the boy, thinking sadly of the 

65 


many happy hours that he had spent with 
his father, listening eagerly to those very 
teachings. 

“But here,” went on Star Eyes, “we are 
not hidden from our enemies by the forest. 
Even now, perhaps, we are being watched 
by scouts who may be hiding among the few 
willows that grow along yonder stream. 
There are great herds of buffalo wandering 
over this open country, and many people 
come here to hunt them. Among those 
people, of course, are many who are our 
enemies. It is because the chiefs fear that 
some of them may be lurking about that 
the women and children are so well guarded 
by the warriors.” 

As she spoke, a young hunter pulled up 

his horse beside them, and called out in a 

66 


loud voice words that Red Feather could not 
understand. 

“It is the Chief’s herald,” explained Star 
Eyes. “He is telling the people to travel 
fast, that all may reach the camping place 
before dark.” 

When the herald had passed on down the 
line, the travelers settled down and became 
quiet. At first there had been much noise 
and excitement. Boys had raced their ponies 
back and forth, and had been scolded by 
their mothers. Babies had cried when they 
were tied into leather bags and hung across 
the backs of their mothers’ horses. 

But, toward the end of the day, when the 
papooses were asleep in their bags, and when 
even the dogs were too tired to run and 
bark at every strange bush, there was 

67 


hardly a word passed from neighbor to 
neighbor. As they jogged quietly on in this 
way, Red Feather became very sleepy. His 
head nodded with each step of the horse, 
and he was soon fast asleep. 



\ 
















THE CAMP OF THE PLAINS TRIBE 
Red Feather was awakened by the sound 

c • 

of many voices. It was dark. The men had 
reached the camp before the rest of the peo¬ 
ple, and had lighted the fires. Now they were 
calling to their wives, that each one might 
know where to set up her tepee. 

“Come, Red Feather,” said Star Eyes, 
“look about and help me to find Lone Wolf.” 

Red Feather, blinking from the smoke in 
his sleepy eyes, slid down from the horse 
and looked about him. At first he could 
think of nothing except that he was a 
stranger among these people, and his shy¬ 
ness made him stand by and look on. But 

when he caught sight of some one who 

69 


looked like Lone Wolf, he forgot himself. 
He dodged about among the horses as 
quickly as the other boys. He made sure 
that the man whom he had seen was Lone 
Wolf, and then he ran back to Star Eyes. 

Star Eyes, leading her two horses, fol¬ 
lowed the boy to the fire that had been built 
for her. Then she unrolled her bundle of 

skins and set up the poles while Lone Wolf 
showed Red Feather how to care for the 

horses. Lone Wolf’s swift-footed buffalo 
hunter they tied with a long strap to a stake 
near the lodge. Here he could find plenty 
of grass to eat, and still be close at hand 
if his rider should need him during the 
night. 

The other horses they drove to a spring, 
and then turned them loose to graze. Red 

70 


Feather wondered what would keep the 
horses from running - away, but Lone Wolf 
soon showed him. The warrior fastened a 
strap about one horse’s forefeet. Then the 
animal could wander about slowly and eat, 
but he could not run away. Red Feather 
tied the feet of the second horse as he had 
seen Lone Wolf do. When he had finished, 
he looked up to find the man beside him 
smiling - . Red Feather knew that his task 



71 








had been done well. He knew, too, that he 
was going to like this new father. 

The days which followed were very much 
alike. They rode all through the day, and 
at night they camped beside some pleasant 
stream. Sometimes, when game was plenti¬ 
ful, they stayed for two nights in the same 
place. This gave the hunters a chance to 
find enough food to last for several days. 
It gave the horses a good rest, too. Some¬ 
times they camped without making fires, 
because the Chief, Two Bears, feared that 
enemy scouts were watching them. Then 
Red Feather had only pemmican, made of 
dried meat and wild rice, for his meals. 

Once, during the night, a war party was 
reported by the young men who were on 

scout duty. Red Feather heard Lone Wolf 


72 


creep out of the lodge. Then all was still. 

“Where are they going?” he whispered. 

“They are surrounding the camp, and 
waiting to surprise the enemy,” answered 
Star Eyes. 

Suddenly there was a wild war cry, and 
the listeners in the camp sprang up to get 
ready to run if their fighters should be over¬ 
come. The women did not show that they 
were afraid. Instead they sang songs to 
cheer on their husbands and sons. The 
fighting did not last long. Soon the war¬ 
riors returned. Their enemies had come to 
steal horses, but they had been chased away 
empty-handed. 

i ^ 

When they had traveled in this way for 
many sleeps, the tribe camped at last beside 
the meeting place of two large streams. 

73 


Here they were to stay for the winter. Over 
the prairie, on all sides of them, many buf¬ 
falo roamed. In one of the streams there 

i 

was a shallow spot that could be used for a 
crossing. They could not have found a 
better place to spend the winter. 
















RED FEATHER’S LIFE ON THE PLAINS 

Red Feather, in spite of his loneliness, 
passed many happy days in his new home. 

He soon learned the strange language that 
the people used. He made friends among 
the boys. He hunted, fished, and swam with 
them, and in a short time cared for them as 
he had for his old playmates. 

The boys liked Red Feather, too. There 
was not a faster runner, a better swimmer, 
or a craftier hunter among them than the 
boy from the Land of the Rising Sun. At 

75 









first they laughed when he tried to ride the 
pony that Lone Wolf had given him. Then, 
as he learned to crouch low on his pony’s 
back, and hold his head close to the long 
neck, Red Feather rode faster and faster. 
Soon he was winning pony races just as he 
had won canoe races in the long ago. 

Of all his new playmates, he liked Black 
Hawk the best. Black Hawk was the boy 
who had watched Red Feather closely on the 
first day that he was with these people. The 
two boys were the same age, and soon came 
to love each other as brothers. Black Hawk 
would do nothing without Red Feather, and 
whatever Red Feather owned belonged to 
Black Hawk, too. 

But, except for Star Eyes, there was no 
one in the whole tribe whom Red Feather 

76 


loved more than Lone Wolf. The brave 
hunter was very anxious that his little al- 
most-son, as he called Red Feather, should 
become a great man. The two had many 
happy times together. 

Often in the early morning Red Feather 
was awakened by a loud, shrill war cry. 
Then he sprang out of bed, grasped his bow 
and arrow, and gave a long “Whoop!” in 
reply. Rushing out of the tepee, he was 











sure to find Lone Wolf waiting for him. 
When the boy was slow in coming out, or 
when his eyes were still sleepy, Lone Wolf 
was disappointed. But when he showed the 
warrior that he could jump from his bed 
and be ready to fight at once, he was re¬ 
warded with a word of praise. Lone Wolf 
did this so that when Red Feather grew up 
he would always be ready to fight if he were 
surprised by an enemy. 

“Come, my little brave,” said Lone Wolf 
one morning when Red Feather had been 
quick to answer the war whoop, “we will go 
hunting this morning.” 

Red Feather was delighted. They made 
their way, on foot, to a grassy meadow. Over 
each side of a stream which ran through the 
meadow hung graceful willow boughs. Many 

78 


deer came there to drink. A little farther 
on, where the stream widened into a lake, 
an early hunter might now and then sur¬ 
prise a moose. Red Feather and Lone Wolf 
had found good hunting in that meadow. 

“From which side shall we approach the 
valley, Red Feather?” asked Lone Wolf. 

Red Feather looked about him at the 
trees. 

“The wind is not blowing to-day,” an¬ 
swered the boy, “I think that the deer will 
have no way of knowing that we are on his 
trail.” 

“Ah,” said his teacher, “you cannot feel 
the air moving, but the animals can catch 
the faintest scent. Watch me, Red Feather!” 

Lone Wolf wet his finger, and then held 


it up. 


79 



“The breeze is from the west,” he said. 
“Do you know how I can tell?” 

“Yes,” said Red Feather eagerly. “That 
side of your finger dried first. I will remem¬ 
ber it.” 

Once in the meadow, the hunters did not 
speak again, for fear that they might 
frighten their prey. As they crept near the 
watering place, Lone Wolf laid a hand on 

Red Feather’s shoulder and pointed. Not 

80 





















$ 


far away stood a large deer, drinking from 
the stream. Red Feather fitted an arrow 
to his bow and aimed it at the animal. His 
hand trembled. The arrow slipped from its 
place, and flew far from its mark. But the 
deer had heard the rustling, and raised his 
head in alarm. There was not a moment to 
lose. Twang! Lone Wolf’s swift, straight 
arrow shot through the thicket. The deer 
leaped high into the air, and then fell, pant¬ 
ing, to the ground. 

“Never mind, little hunter,” said Lone 
Wolf. “Now you hang your head in shame, 
but the next time your hand will be steadier. 
Come, help me to carry the deer home.” 

So the lessons went on. Sometimes, in¬ 
stead of hunting, the two went on scouting 

trips. Then Red Feather learned to read all 

81 


the signs of the woods and plains. He 
learned to know the footprints of different 
animals and the moccasin prints of men of 
< different tribes. He learned that broken 
twigs and trampled grasses told where trails 
had been made; and that smoke signals told 
the news of friend and enemy. 

Lone Wolf knew that when Red Feather 
grew up, he would need to be able to stand 
great hardships. He might have to go with¬ 
out food for several days. And so, while he 
was teaching the boy other things, Lone 
Wolf taught him to fast. Sometimes the 
man and the boy blackened their faces to 
warn others not to disturb them, and then 
went off by themselves and did not touch 
food all day. 

Sometimes on these days, Lone Wolf 

82 


talked of the many thing's that Red Feather 
must remember in order to become a strong, 
brave, and truthful warrior. Sometimes they 
sat in silence, thinking of the Great Spirit 
whose works they saw all about them. It 
was on these long trips together that Red. 
Feather came to love Lone Wolf, and made 
up his mind to be worthy of his teachings, 
as well as of those of his own father in the 
far away land. 



83 


SOHEEDA 


Red Feather had another friend, Soheeda. 
Soheeda was an old, old man who lived all 
by himself. In the first days, when Red 
Feather was very lonely, Star Eyes had sent 
him often to take some choice food to the 
old man. Then these two, who had both 
lost their friends, sat and talked of other 
days. At first they had to use the sign lan¬ 
guage, or hand-talk, as they called it. But 
soon Soheeda taught Red Feather many 
words of the language of the new tribe. In 
this way he helped to make the boy happy in 
his strange home. 

One day when Star Eyes went to Sohee- 
da’s lodge to find Red Feather, she saw how 


34 





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hard it was for the old man to live alone. 
His tepee was falling 1 down. His meat was 
not well cooked. All was disorderly within 
his home. 

“He needs some one to care for him/' 
said Star Eyes to herself. “I will ask Lone 
Wolf to let him come to our lodge. The boy 
likes him, and needs a grandfather. Lone 
Wolf cannot be with his almost-son so much 
now that it is time to hunt the buffalo.” 

Lone Wolf was very glad to share his 
lodge with the feeble old man. Soheeda was 
also glad of the change. Now he would be 
very comfortable for the winter. Now he 
could be often with Red Feather, whom he 
called his grandson. Many happy evenings 

the little family spent that year. 

♦ 

Soheeda was the story-teller of the tribe. 


86 


He was the oldest man living - in that band 
of people, but he could show exactly how 
many winters he had been alive. Among 
his belongings was a little bundle of sticks. 
On these sticks he had made a notch for 
every year since his birth. 

Another bundle of these sticks told how 
many winters had passed since a certain 
great battle that the tribe had won. Another 
told how many years it was since many of 

the people had died of a great sickness. 

* 

This was one way that the Indians used to 
keep a record of their tribes. Soheeda had 
many of these bundles, and he used to sit 
all through the long evenings telling their 
stories. As he sat thus one evening Red 
Feather asked him, 

“Grandfather, what is the story of that 

87 


small bundle? Will you tell it to me?” 

“That,” said Soheeda, “is the story of 
how our people first came to have horses. 
Listen, and I will tell it to you.” 

“When my grandfather was a boy of 
nine winters, the tribe moved westward. In 
those days traveling was very slow. It took 
many moons to go as far as the Great Moun¬ 
tains. The women had to carry the packs 
themselves. They had dogs, but the dogs 
could not be trusted to carry many things. 
You have seen how a dog will often plunge 
into a stream and ruin what he is carrying. 
So it was then. The dogs were not of much 
help, and there were no horses. 

“Once the tribe was attacked by a war 
party. The enemy warriors were riding 

horses. Our people were badly frightened, 

88 


because they had never seen such strange 
creatures. They thought that the horse and 
its rider were all one animal. My grand¬ 
father said that our warriors were afraid of 
these spirit-fighters, as they were called, and 
would not fight with them. 

“This pleased the enemy very much. They 
became quite friendly, and even sold some 
of their horses to our people. Then they 
taught our warriors how to ride the horses, 
and showed our women how to make the 
horses carry packs. Since that time, travel¬ 
ing has not been so hard for us.” 

“But where did those strange people 
first get horses, Grandfather?” asked Red 
Feather. 

“I do not know the true story, Red Fea¬ 
ther/’ answered Soheeda. “They said that 
they had stolen the animals from the people 

89 


who dwelt on the far side of the Great 

* 

Mountains, beside the Western Waters. 
They said also that the Western People had 
bought the horses from strange pale-faced 
men who traveled up from the Southland. 
But I do not know how true this story is.” 

“I heard often of the white-skinned men 
in my far eastern home,” said Star Eyes. “It 
was said that they crossed the Great Water 
in canoes that had wings.” 

“It is true,” said Red Feather. “I have 

even seen a Pale-face. He came to our vil- 

\ 

lage, and left many presents. One present 
was a shooting-stick, which could kill.” 

“These are strange things to believe,” 
said Soheeda. “But we will talk of them an¬ 
other time. Hear! That is Lone Wolf re¬ 
turning from the Chief’s lodge. Perhaps he 
has news to tell us of the buffalo hunt.” 


90 



“Ho, Red Feather! Are you not coming 

with us to prepare the sweat-lodge for the 
men? Did you forget that to-night will be 
danced the great buffalo dances? Come! We 
have been sent to gather the stones.” 

Black Hawk and several other boys 
waited outside of Lone Wolf’s lodge. Red 
Feather hurried out to meet them. 

“What are we to do?” he asked. 

“We will show you,” said Black Hawk. 

91 










They led the boy to a spot beside the 
stream. Here the men of the tribe had set 
up a framework of willows. This was the 
sweat-lodge. The task of the boys was to 
gather a pile of stones and heat them in a 
fire beside the lodge. 

“How will they use them?” asked Red 
Feather. 

“Here come the men now,” said Black 
Hawk. “You will see.” 

Coming toward them were the men who 
would be the leaders in the hunt on the next 
day. As they came, they sang strange songs. 
They entered the lodge, which was only high 
enough for them to squat in. A medicine 
man, who stayed on the outside, covered the 
framework with skins, leaving a small open¬ 
ing in the middle. Then, taking two strong, 

92 


curved bones, he lifted one by one the stones 
which the boys had heated. He set these in 
the middle of the sweat-lodge. 

When the singing on the inside of the 
lodge had become very loud, the medicine 
man took up a vessel of water and poured 
it over the red hot stones. A great cloud of 
steam arose. Some of the singers almost 
choked, but they continued to sing as well 
as they could. In their singing they kept 
time to the music of a rattle which the medi¬ 
cine man shook outside the lodge. If the 
steam died down, he poured more water over 
the stones. If the stones became cold, he 
exchanged them for hot ones. It was the 
work of the boys to see that there was 
always a pile of hot stones ready. 

The songs that the men were singing 


93 


were songs to the Spirit of the Water. They 
asked it to cleanse their bodies and to clear 
their minds. They wanted to be fit to offer 
a sacrifice to the Spirit of the Buffalo. When 
the men in the sweat-lodge were so badly 
choked by the steam that they could no 
longer sing, the medicine man threw back 
the covers of skin. Then the men ran to the 
stream, and plunged into its cold water. 

“They do this,” explained Black Hawk to 
Red Feather, “so that their bodies will be 
pure and clean when they dance the buffalo 
dances to-night. We wall watch the dances 
together, Red Feather. I will meet you at 
the council lodge.” 

As the boys made their way back from 
the stream, they saw that a large lodge had 
been set up by the women. 


94 


“It is the council lodge/’ said Black 
Hawk. “They have used the skins and poles 
of many tepees to make it. There will be 
ten fires. I have heard the women say it. 
Hear! What is the herald saying?” 

“Let all the people make ready for the 
dance of the buffalo!” shouted the herald. 
“Our scouts have returned, saying that 
many herds were seen roaming near. The 
trap is ready for them. To-night the young 
men will sing the buffalo songs. Our Chief 
has said it!” 

“Let us ride on our ponies to see the buf¬ 
falo trap,” suggested Red Feather. 

“We must hurry, then,” said Black Hawk, 

$ , 

“for we do not want to be late to-night.” 

At a place that was less than half a 
morning’s walk up the river there was a 

95 







h 


MSxA 




? MB® t 




i 


MsmmM 

^ . 




■ 




Sit I 


- 































steep bluff. It stood far back from the 

water. Probably, many years before, this 
bluff had stood at the edge of the stream. 
But the river had changed its course, and 
now there was a large stretch of ground 
between the foot of the bluff and the water. 
Around this stretch of ground the men had 
built a fence of stones and the trunks of 
trees. This was called the buffalo trap. 

It did not take the boys a long time to 
reach the trap, because they raced all the 
way on their ponies. It was beginning to 
grow dark as they stood at the edge of the 
bluff, outlined against the sky. 

“It is a large trap,” said Spotted Deer, 
who was older than the rest, and had seen 
many buffalo hunts. 

“What are these piles of rocks for, which 


97 


we helped to gather yesterday?” asked Red 
Feather. 

“You will see to-morrow, my brother,” 
answered Black Hawk. “Now we must hurry 
back. Let us see who will be the first one 
there!” 



98 


THE BUFFALO DANCES 
That night Red Feather and Black Hawk 
found a place near the Chief’s end of the 
council lodge. Only warriors were supposed 
to sit there. The boys’ place was at the far 
end of the lodge, near the women. But these 
two boys had crept into the shadows, and, 
since they sat quite still, no one disturbed 
them. 

Red Feather had never seen so large a 
tepee. It must have taken many skins to 
make it! Down the center from end to end, 
ten fires burned. Around the sides, all the 
people were crowded. When all were seated, 
the Chief took from a pipe stand in front of 
him the pipe of his tribe. 

99 


y 


The pipe was made of clay; the stand 
was the skull of a buffalo. Turning 1 the pipe 
upward, the Chief smoked to the Spirits of 

i 

the Sky. Pointing - it to the earth, he smoked 
to the Spirit of the Earth. Then, turning it 
to the north, south, east, and west, he 
smoked to the Spirits of the Four Directions. 
When he had finished, he passed the pipe on 
to the other warriors. They smoked in the 
same way. As the pipe passed from hand to 
hand, Chief Two Bears stood up to speak. 

“My children/’ he said, “winter is almost 
here. We will have time before his frozen 
breath touches the land to decoy the buffalo 
once more. To-morrow the women and chil¬ 
dren will take their places behind the great 
piles of stones, as always. The brave riders 

will close in on the animals and force them 

100 

o 

V O *" < 


over the edge of the bluff. The best hunters 
will be ready to shoot any animal that tries 
to escape from the trap. The herd is near; 
the trap is ready; our horses are in good con¬ 
dition. Our Caller will now dance his buffalo 
dance, and then our young men will dance.” 

The old Chief sat down. From his side 
rose Food Giver, the Caller of the buffalo. 
He was dressed in a buffalo robe. On his 
head were the horns of a buffalo. On the 
floor in front of the fire he set his medicine 
bag. No one might see what was inside it, 
but every one was sure that it contained a 
piece of buffalo flesh and a bit of buffalo 
horn. To this Food Giver sang, first low, 
then louder and louder. Around and around 
it he danced, until his watchers became 

dizzy. At last he could dance no longer. 

101 


Picking up his medicine bag, he stumbled to 
the door. 

“Food Giver has strong medicine,” said 
the Chief. “All day he has fasted. Now he 
will pray, that the Great Spirit may give him 
power to-morrow to call the buffalo. Let 
him go alone.” 

After that the young men danced and 
sang. Often some one danced until he was 
worn out. Then he dropped out and some 
one else took his place. At first the dancers 
wore buffalo robes about them. As they 
danced, one by one they threw their robes 
aside. The firelight shone on their freshly 
painted bodies. All wore the buffalo head- 
piece. To the boys who were watching, it 

was a wonderful sight. At last Two Bears 

% 

arose and spoke: 


102 



103 





























“My children, it is enough! Go now to 
your lodges, and let all be ready to start 
early in the morning. I have said it!” 


104 


THE BUFFALO HUNT 
The early morning found each person in 
his place. Women and children were hidden 
behind the piles of stones that were laid out 
in the shape of a “V” on top of the bluff. 
The fast riders held their horses hidden, too. 
They were all ready to rush out and drive 
the buffalo over the cliff. A scout came rid¬ 
ing to say that the herd was coming nearer. 
All the people prayed that the animals 
would not wander away. Soon the buffalo 
were in plain view. 

The Caller, crouching low on his horse, 
moved slowly toward the herd. Both man 
and horse were completely covered by buf¬ 
falo robes. The people on the bluff saw an 

105 


old buffalo cow raise her head. What was 
that which she saw moving- slowly throug-h 
the tall grass? 

No one could have told just why she 
started to run after the Caller, but once she 
had started, nothing could have stopped her. 
Another cow followed her; then another. 
Soon the calves broke into a run, and after 
them came the strong bulls. Now the whole 
herd was crashing onward, and kicking up a 
great cloud of dust. Nearer and nearer to 
the Caller they came until the watchers 
thought that surely he must be trampled to 
death. 

But he did not get out of the way until 
he had reached the piles of stones. Then the 
people who had been hiding there arose, and 

waved their robes at the frightened animals. 

106 





107 

















The leaders of the herd would have turned 
back, but behind them now raced the brave 
riders, yelling wildly as they rode. The first 
of the buffalo were at the edge of the cliff. 
They could not go back. They could not run 
to either side. There was only one thing to 
do. The whole herd crashed headlong over 
the edge into the pen below. 

All of the animals that were not killed by 
the fall were shot by the hunters as they 
tried to run out of the trap. Then what a 
shouting arose! Men, women, and children 
helped to remove the great spoils of the 
hunt. Here was enough food to last them 
many days. Here were enough skins to 
make robes and leggings and moccasins and 
tepee coverings for many people! What 

feasting there was in the camp that night! 

108 


Before each lodge a fire gleamed red on the 
racks of meat. 

“The prayers of Food Giver have indeed 
been answered,” thought Red Feather, as he 
watched the women hanging up the meat to 
dry for the winter. 





109 















WINTER EVENINGS IN THE TEPEE 

The buffalo hunt was held none too soon. 
Not long after the last of the meat was dried 
and put away, the cold West Wind forced 
the People of the Plains inside their lodges. 
No one minded the first few soft snowflakes 
that made a clean white blanket over the 
earth. But when the Wind of the North ap¬ 
peared, driving great clouds of snow before 


no 





it, covering- stream and trail, the people 
shivered in their homes of skins. 

Red Feather had lived throug-h several 
cold winters, but he had never seen any¬ 
thing like the terrible blizzards of the open 
country. Often it was so cold that the horses 
froze during the night. Sometimes the men 
could not leave the lodges even to hunt. 

“Wazeeyah, the Spirit of Cold Weather, 
is angry/’ said the people at such times. 



111 













It was then that they huddled about their 
fires, and whiled the long - evening’s away by 
telling stories. Those were the times when 
Red Feather was glad that Soheeda had 
come to live with them. The old man loved 
to tell stories, and the boy was a good 
listener. 

One cold evening the little family was 
gathered about the lodge-fire as usual. Star 
Eyes had laid a great pile of fire wood be¬ 
fore the door. Now her work was finished, 
and she sat in her place at the opening of 
the tepee, making beads for Red Feather’s 
jacket. Lone Wolf sat opposite her at the 
far end of the lodge. He was putting a new 
string of deer sinew on his strong bow. Red 
Feather, wrapped in a warm buffalo robe, 

snuggled down beside Hacheda, the dog. 

112 


“Grandfather,” he asked, turning to So- 
heeda, “let us have a new story this evening 
—one that I have never heard.” 

“Then listen well,” said Soheeda. “It is 
a story called The Five Comrades 






113 


SOHEEDA’S STORY 

At one time there dwelt among - our peo¬ 
ple a very beautiful maiden. Many young 
men wished to have her for a wife. She 
did not know which one to choose, and at 
last had to set two tests to find out who 
should be her husband. But the tests were 
so hard that no young man of the tribe could 
win her. 

The story of her beauty soon reached 
the people of other tribes. The son of a 
certain Chief heard of the maiden and made 
up his mind to win her. He set out at once 
for the camp of her people. He had not 
traveled far when he saw a strange man 
on the top of a hill. The man was tying 

114 


stones to his ankles. The Chief’s Son came 
up to him, and said, 

“My friend, why do you tie those great 
stones to your ankles?” 

“Oh,” replied the man, “I wish to chase 
buffaloes, but when I do so, I run past them. 
I am tying these stones to my ankles so 
that I may not run so fast.” 

“My friend,” said the Chief’s Son, “you 
can chase buffaloes at some other time. I 
am without a comrade. I pray you, come 
with me.” 

The Swift One agreed, and they went on 
their way together. Before they had gone 
very far they saw two large lakes. Beside 
one of them sat a man, who drank and drank 
and drank. The travelers thought that 
surely the man could drink no more. But 

115 


still he drank from the lake. At last they 

walked up to him and said, 

“Friend, why do you sit there drinking 

of the lake?” 

“Oh,” said the man, “I can never get 
enough water. When I have finished this 
lake, I shall start on the other.” 

“Come and join us,” said the Chiefs Son, 
“and we shall find plenty of water for you 
to drink.” 

The Thirsty One agreed, and the three 
went on their way together. When they had 
walked a little way, they met a man who 
walked along with his face lifted to the sky. 

The travelers overtook the man, and said to 

\ 

him, 

“Why do you walk with your eyes turned 
to the sky, friend?” 


116 


“I have shot an arrow,” said the man 
“and I am waiting- for it to fall to earth 
again.” 

“Forget your arrow,” said the Chiefs 
Son, “and come with us. We are traveling.” 

The Skillful Archer agreed, and the four 
went on their way together. As they trav¬ 
eled through a forest, they saw a strange 
sight. A man lay there with his ear to the 
ground. The Chiefs Son, walking up to the 
man, said, 

“Friend, to what do you listen so care¬ 
fully?” 

“I am listening to the plants growing,” 
answered the man. “This forest is full of 
plants, and I am listening to them as they 
breathe.” 

“You can listen for that some other 


117 


time,” said the Chief’s Son. “Come, now, 
and join us in our travels.” 

The Listener agreed, and they all went 
on their way together. Soon they came to 
the camp that they were seeking. When the 
people heard that the Chief’s Son had come 
to try for the beautiful maiden, they shook 
their heads. They warned the young man, 
saying that the tests were very hard. When 
he insisted upon trying, they showed him 
what the first test was. Great piles of food 
and water were set before him, and he was 
told that he must not leave one bit untasted. 

“Alas,” said the Chief’s Son, “this is im¬ 
possible.” 

“Not at all,” said his comrades, “we will 
help you.” 

They soon ate all of the food that was 

118 


before them, for they were very hungry 
from their long journey. But, though they 
were thirsty, they could not drink all of the 
water. 

“Never mind,” said the Thirsty One, “I 
will take care of that.” 

He drank and drank, until every vessel 
had been emptied. Then he looked about 
for more water. The people of the camp 
were surprised. But they only shook their 
heads again, and made ready for the second 
test. They brought out a woman who was 
a very swift runner. In fact, no one had 
ever been known to win a race from her. 
They told the Chief’s Son that if this woman 
could be outrun in a race, he might have 
the beautiful maiden for his wife. 

“Alas,” said he, “this is impossible.” 

119 


“Not so,” replied the Swift One, and he 
prepared to race with the woman. 

All the people came to watch the race. 
For a long time neither runner could pass 
the other. Soon they were out of sight. 
When they reached the turning-point, the 
woman said, 

“Come, let us rest for a while.” 

The man agreed, but as soon as he sat 
down he fell asleep. This was just what the 
woman was waiting for. She jumped up 
and set off as fast as she could run for the 
camp. As she came in sight of the watchers, 
the four comrades were greatly disap¬ 
pointed. They were sure that something 
had happened to their friend. The Listener 
bent his ear to the ground, to find out where 
the runner was. 


120 



“Our friend is asleep/’ he said. “I can 
hear him snoring'.” 

“I will awaken him,” said the Skillful 

# 

Archer, and he shot an arrow with such 
careful aim that it struck the ground beside 
the sleeping runner. 

The Swift One, awakened by the arrow, 
jumped to his feet. When he saw that the 

woman was gone, he knew that'he had been 

tricked. He set off at great speed, and over- 

121 















took the woman within a short distance of 
the starting post. It was a close race, but 
he won it. The woman had been outrun, 
and so the Chief’s Son might have the beau¬ 
tiful maiden for his wife. 

# # # 

“It is a story of the Ancient Ones,” said 
Lone Wolf when Soheeda had finished. “I 
know it well.” 

“But, Grandfather,” said Red Feather, 
“what became of the young man’s friends?” 

“They remained with him always,” 
answered Soheeda. “You see, the comrades, 
on their travels, had sworn to be warrior- 
brothers, and after that they never could 
part.” 

“Just as Black Hawk and I have done,” 

thought Red Feather, as he sat and gazed 

122 


into the fire. “I wonder if I shall ever have 
to help him, as the warrior brothers of the 
Chiefs Son did/’ 

Then he said aloud, “Grandfather, I, too, 
know a story of racing.” 

“Come, let us hear it,” said Star Eyes. 
“I never tire of hearing the stories of my 
people.” 




123 



RED FEATHER’S STORY 
There was once a wicked spirit, or man- 
ito, who lived in a beautiful country of for¬ 
est, and meadow, and lake. He had all that 
men needed to live, but he was not satisfied 
with hunting game. He amused himself by 
killing all the men and boys who fell into 
his hands. This is how he did it. He asked 
each one to race with him. The winner was 
to have the right to kill the loser at the end 

124 































of the race. The manito had run many 
such races. He was always the winner, be¬ 
cause he could take the form of a fox, a 
wolf, or a buffalo, and so run faster than 
any man. 

Everyone hated him, and yet the young 1 
men could not refuse to run with him. If 
they did, he called them cowards. Of course, 
they could not bear to hear that. Although 
he knew that the people hated him, he pre¬ 
tended to be friendly with them. But this 
was just an excuse to visit them in their 
lodges. He wanted to watch the boys, and 
know when they were old enough to run 
with him. On these visits he did not boast 
of his deeds, but acted as pleasantly as any 
kind old man might. 

Every family in the village had lost a son 


125 


or a husband through the wicked manito’s 
racing. One woman had seen her husband 
and seven sons killed at the end of the run¬ 
ning course. There remained to her only 
two children, a son and a daughter. They 
were very poor, for the boy was not yet old 
enough to hunt for food. But the poor 
woman had taught her children very care¬ 
fully. The boy would some day be a brave, 
truthful warrior. The girl, Minda, was now 
a good and beautiful maiden. 

One day, when Minda was gathering fire¬ 
wood, she wandered to the edge of the tiny 
lake. She sat down on its bank, and gazed 
about at the slender birches that grew there. 
Soon she noticed a beautiful bird of blue 
and red that was singing on a branch. As 

Minda listened, the bird sang on and on, now 

126 


loud, now low, until she forgot everything 
but his song. Never had she heard such a 
song. The bird seemed to be trying to tell 
her something. But it was not a song of 
happiness; it was very sad. The girl at last 
spoke to him. 

“Why are you so sad, dear bird?” she 
asked. 

“I must keep this form until some maiden 
will marry me,” answered the bird. “I have 
waited for you many days, Minda. Will you 
be my wife?” 

Now Minda loved the bird, but she was 
ashamed to ask her mother if she might 
marry him. But her mother saw that the 
girl had something on her mind. On ask¬ 
ing, she found out the trouble. She gave her 
consent to the marriage, and Minda went to 

127 


the birch grove to find her lover. The bird- 
lover was very happy, and told the girl to 
go home and wait for him. 

When he appeared at the lodge, he was 
no longer a bird. Now his name was Mon- 
edowa, and he had the form of a hunter. 
Upon his shoulders he wore a robe of blue, 
and on his head a red plume. At meal-time 
he ate a strange dish made of meat and 
berries and the buds of the birch tree. 

As they were eating, the wicked Manito 
called at the lodge. He had come to see if 
the boy were old enough to race with him. 
He was very much surprised to see the hand¬ 
some stranger. The Manito was invited to 
share in the marriage feast. At first he 
would not taste the food that Minda put 

before Monedowa, but his greediness made 

128 


him try it. When he had finished, he 
hastened to challenge Monedowa to a race. 
The stranger at first refused; but the man- 
ito, smiling, said, 

“Surely a strong young man like you 
could not be afraid to run with an old man 
like me. Come! Say that you will meet me 
at the racing ground in the morning!” 

As he spoke he began to cough and 
choke. Monedowa smiled, for he knew that 
the birch buds had caused the choking. The 
manito had the nature of an animal, and 
he could not eat the food of Monedowa, the 
bird-man. 

“I will race with you,” said the hunter 
at last. 

When morning came, Monedowa was 
waiting for the old man at the starting post. 


His strong body had been oiled all over; his 
face and breast were painted in the blue 
and red of the beautiful little bird. Minda 
and her mother and brother were with him. 
Soon they saw the manito approaching. 
With him came many of his wicked relatives. 

“Ah, you are ready!” he cried. “Before 
we start, however, I want you to understand 
my bargain. Whenever I race with a man, 
the winner may kill the loser against yonder 
stone.” 

“It is well,” agreed Monedowa. 

i 

The race began. After a few steps, the 
manito was leading and the young man 
came close behind him. The manito, fearing 
to be passed, changed himself into a fox, 
and sped far ahead on the course. But 
Monedowa, taking the form of a blue and 

130 


red bird, flew ahead of the fox, and then 
changed back to a man. When the manito 
saw the young man running in front of 
him, he became a wolf, and quickly took the 
lead. As he passed, Monedowa noticed that 
he was choking and coughing. 

“It is the bird food in his throat,” said 
Monedowa to himself. 

Monedowa again became a bird, and as 
he passed the wolf he whispered, 

“My friend, is this as fast as you can 
go?” 

The manito was furious, and changed 
himself into a buffalo, in the hope of winning 
the race. But the bird again flew ahead, 
and reached the starting post long before 
the old man, who was worn out with cough¬ 
ing, came up. 


131 


“Friend,” he panted, “have pity on an old 
man!” 

“As much pity as you have always 
shown,” answered Monedowa, as he seized 
the wicked manito and dashed him against 
the stone post. 

His relatives, seeing what had happened, 
became frightened, and fled to some far¬ 
away country. All the other people rejoiced 
and wanted Monedowa to be their chief. But 
the handsome warrior shook his head, and 
turning to his new mother, said, 

“My mother, here we part. The Good 
Spirit sent me here to help you. Now that 
I have done that I must again become a 
little bird. If your daughter still loves me, 
I may take her with me. Farewell!” 

Minda stepped to his side, and together 

132 


they walked toward the little grove of birch 
trees where first they had met. The woman 
was sorry to lose her daughter, but forgot 
her sorrow when two beautiful blue birds 
came and sang to her from the top of her 
lodge-pole. Her son grew up to be a great 
hunter, and all were happy. 

* * * 

“It is a good story,” said Soheeda when 
Red Feather had finished, “and you have 
told it well.” 

Lone Wolf smiled as he set down his 
mended bow. 

“Now it is time to sleep,” he said. 

Star Eyes covered the fire with ashes. 
Then each one crawled into his bed of robes 
and went to sleep. Outside, Wazeeyah, the 

133 


Spirit of Cold Weather, wailed aloud as he 
swept over the open country. Out on the 
prairie a coyote howled. All else was still. 



134 











LONE WOLF’S DEATH 

% 

So passed Red Feather’s first winter on 
the prairie. With spring came the happiest 
days of his life. Once more there was swim¬ 
ming and hunting and pony racing. From 
early morning until dark, Red Feather and 
his friend Black Hawk were never seen in 

' Z''* 

camp. They rode over every bit of the 
country that they could reach in one day’s 
travel. They became very good scouts and 
hunters. 

135 















Then the tribe moved westward. They 
were looking for better hunting grounds. 
What thrilling times those were for the boys 
of the plains! Caring for the horses, scout¬ 
ing for enemies, hunting for prairie dogs 
along the way, they were busy all the day. 
Sometimes, while the people were resting, 
the boys followed the trail of a mountain 
lion to his lone rocky den. They never tired 
of exploring this new country. 

Until late in the summer the little band 
camped in the foot-hills of the Great Moun¬ 
tains. Autumn found them so far from the 
northern lakes that Chief Two Bears decided 
not to take his people to the rice fields until 
the next year. Instead, the women were 
told to gather all the roots and berries that 
they could carry on the way to their home. 

136 





■ 


137 










These were to take the place of rice during 
the winter. 

The winter that followed was not a very 
happy one for Two Bears’ people. During 
their long stay in the west, another tribe 
had settled near their old hunting place. 
This meant war. War, of course, was what 
all the boys of the camp wished for. There 
never was an Indian boy who did not long 
for the day when he would be a great 
warrior. 

But the very war that Red Feather 
longed for brought sadness to his heart 
again. One day Lone Wolf rode up to the 
tepee, very much excited. Jumping from 
his swift-footed horse, he tossed its rope to 
Red Feather. Then, without speaking, he 
strode to the Chiefs lodge. Red Feather 

138 


waited anxiously to see what would happen. 
Soon the Chiefs herald came riding through 
the camp, bidding the warriors come to a 
council that was to be held that night. 

All the afternoon the men prepared 
themselves for the war dance. How terrible 
they looked when they made their way, one 
by one, to the council lodge in the twilight! 
Each warrior wore his war bonnet trimmed 
with eagle feathers. Each one wore, too, 
at his belt, the scalps that he had taken in 
battle. Their faces were covered with war 
paint. How the boys shouted and danced 
about them! How proud they were because 
their fathers and uncles were going to war! 

“Come, Red Feather,” said Black Hawk, 
“let us watch the war dance through the 
door of the council lodge.” 

139 


Inside the lodge a post had been set up. 
Now a warrior stood up, struck the post 
with his war club, and told of his brave 
deeds in battle. Then there was loud sing¬ 
ing or dancing. Soon another warrior took 
the floor. This they called striking the post. 

The war dance lasted far into the night. 
No one thought of going to sleep. Toward 
morning, when the moon had disappeared, 
the warriors set off for the camp of the 
enemy. What noise there was! Dogs were 
barking; boys were shouting. The women 
were singing their strong-heart songs, and 
the warriors were yelling their war cries. 
At last they were gone. Red Feather, stand¬ 
ing alone in the first dawn of the morning, 
could make out a single line of riders cross¬ 
ing the top of a hill. 


140 



The next day brought bad news. Return¬ 
ing scouts said that the enemy’s band was 
very large, and had many strong warriors. 
In the first attack Little Beaver, the Chief’s 
son, was hurt. The brave Lone Wolf sprang 
to help him, shooting two warriors who tried 
to stop him. As he was about to escape, an 
enemy’s arrow brought him to the ground, 
dead. 

Loud was the mourning in camp that day. 
Poor Star Eyes and Red Feather were very 
sad. They blackened their faces, and did 
not stir from their tepee. Outside, every one 
was singing the praises of Lone Wolf. Even 

141 












that did not cheer the hearts of Star Eyes 
and Red Feather. 

“Who now will teach poor Red Feather 
to be a brave?” wailed Star Eyes. “Who 
now will hunt for us, that we may not 
starve?” 

“Be of good heart, my almost-mother,” 
comforted Red Feather. “My good teacher 

142 









has always told me to pray that I might die 
in battle. That is the greatest honor that 
can befall a warrior. Lone Wolf’s name will 
never die among his people because of his 
bravery today. Besides, has he not taught 
me to hunt? Never fear, you shall never 
be hungry while I live!” 

“I believe you, Red Feather,” said Star 

Eyes. “I know that you will do honor to 
his teachings. But hark! The other war¬ 
riors are returning to the camp. Oh, my 
poor Lone Wolf!” 


A* 


143 



RED FEATHER’S VISION 
Red Feather kept his word. Never did 
he let Star Eyes and Soheeda want for meat. 
Often he was discouraged, but there was not 
a day when he went home empty-handed. 
Star Eyes was very proud of him. Before 
long every one in the camp knew what a fine 
hunter he was. He no longer had time to 
play with the other boys. Nor did he care 
to. More and more he spent the days by 
himself. Now that Lone Wolf was dead, 

he thought oftener of his own father in the 

\ 

far-away land. How he would like to go 

144 












there once more! He longed to see his own 
mother and his sister again, too. 

“I see that something is troubling you, 
Red Feather,” said Soheeda one day. 

“Yes, grandfather,” answered the boy. 
“I think often of my old home in the Land 
of the Rising Sun.” 

“My boy,” said the old man, “I think that 
it is time for you to go alone to the river 
bluffs and fast. Perhaps the Spirit Voices 
that you will hear will comfort you in your 
thoughts about your people. I will ask Star 
Eyes to build you a lodge that will face the 
Land of the Rising Sun. I am sure that the 
Spirits of your people will come to you.” 

And so Red Feather kept his first real 
fast. On top of the bluff that overlooked 
the old buffalo trap, Star Eyes built a lodge. 

145 


There Red Feather went alone, to fast and 
pray for three days. The first night was 
very long to him. Sitting before his tepee, 
facing the east, he gazed long into the fire 
which he had built to keep the animals away. 

Once, hearing a long, low growl, he 
looked into the darkness around him. Not far 
off, a huge bear sat upon his haunches. Red 
Feather wished that he were back in camp. 
He threw another log upon the fire. When 



146 













it blazed up, the bear ambled off for other 
prey. 

Red Feather could not sleep now if he 
had wanted to. He thought that he saw two 

' ■'f'k, 

balls of green fire shining before him. Soon 
two more balls shone beside them. The boy 
picked up a burning log and threw it from 
him. The balls of fire disappeared. Red 
Feather could hear two wolves slinking off 
into the darkness. 

All was still for a time. The boy dozed a 
little. He was startled by the call of a coyote 
from a far-off hill. From across the river 
came the answer. Red Feather shuddered. 
Was that really a coyote answering its mate, 
or were those the calls of enemy spies? He 
thought that morning would never come. But 
soon he fell asleep. 


147 



The second night was much the same. 
Still Red Feather had not heard the Spirit 
Voices. By the end of the third day he was 
so weak that he could not even build a fire. 

He lay face-downward on the ground before 
his lodge. Then it was that he heard the 
Spirit Voices., 

He dreamed that a great Eagle came to 
him, picked him up, and carried him back 
to the land of his people. But his people 

148 









were no longer there. Then the Eagle told 
Red Feather that his father’s tribe had been 
driven from their village by cruel enemies 
from the north. He said that they had 
wandered, in their search for new hunting 
grounds, far to the westward. He said, too, 
that Big Eagle and Morning Star were sick 
and poor, and that they needed Red Feather’s 
help and protection. Then the great bird 
picked the boy up again, and, after soaring 
high into the air, suddenly let his body fall 
to earth. Red Feather felt himself falling— 
falling—falling, and he screamed aloud. 

He awakened to find Soheeda leaning 
over him. The old man had come to bring 
him food and drink. 

When Soheeda and Red Feather returned 
to camp, Star Eyes put food before the boy 

149 



Neither she nor the old man would think of 
asking Red Feather what his dream had 
been. After he had eaten, he took his bow 
and arrows and left the lodge. At the door 
he turned back, and spoke to Star Eyes: 

“My almost-mother, the time will soon 
come for me to leave this country and seek 
my own people.” 

Star Eyes did not answer. She had al¬ 
ways feared that some day Red Feather 
would leave her and go back to the east. 
How could she give him up? She had come 
to love him dearly, and now that Lone Wolf 
was dead, she could not bear the thought of 
parting from the boy. But she said nothing 
to Red Feather. She knew that his heart 
was still full of the words that the Spirits 
had spoken to him. She knew that now he 

150 


had gone to hunt the animal or bird that he 
had seen in his dream. 

When Red Feather returned that night, 
he brought with him a beautiful eagle. It 
had taken him all day to find and kill one. 
Now he would skin the bird, and save its 
feathers until bravery in war should permit 
him to wear them. The claws of the bird 
he put into a little bag of soft skin which 
Star Eyes had made for him. This was his 
medicine bag. The Eagle was now Red 
Feather’s guardian Spirit. 

Black Hawk came to greet his friend 
after the fast. Black Hawk had fasted, too. 
He was eager to know what had happened 
to Red Feather. 

“Did you hear the Spirit Voices?” he 


asked. 


161 


“Yes,” answered Red Feather, without 
looking up. 

“Red Feather,” said Star Star Eyes, “I 
will not stay behind you when you go. I, 
too, will go to seek my people.” 

Black Hawk was surprised to hear that 
Red Feather was leaving. 

“My friend,” he said, “do you forget that 
we have sworn to be warrior-brothers? Do 

a 

you not know that such a tie is stronger than 
the ties which bind you to your people?” 

“That is why I am unhappy,” said Red 
Feather. “I know that I am bound to you 
by our promise of friendship, but my people 
need me.” 

“Then it is I who must come with you,” 
decided Black Hawk. 

Then Red Feather was indeed happy. But 

152 


his happiness did not last long, for as he 
looked up, his eye fell upon Soheeda. There 
were tears in the old man’s eyes, but he 
spoke bravely: 

“No, Red Feather, I know what you are 
thinking. I am too old to travel with you. 
And, besides, I could never leave the tribe 
whose records I keep. Some one else will 
give the old story teller a home. But my 
thoughts will be ever with you.’’ 

Every one knew that his words were true. 
He belonged to the tribe, and could not leave 

it. Nor would he want to. 

“When shall we start on our journey?” 
asked Red Feather. 

I have thought of a plan,” answered Star 
Eyes. “In a few days, the tribe will start 
for the rice fields. We will stay with them 

153 


and help to gather the rice harvest. Then, 
when they return to the prairie, we shall 
begin our search for our own people.” 

“It is a good plan,” said Red Feather. 

But though he was eager to start, his 
heart was heavy as he thought of the old 
man who had always been so kind to him. 



154 






RED FEATHER’S DEPARTURE 
At last came the morning when Two 
Bears gave the word to start for the rice 
fields. Once again the boys were in their 
glory. But this time Red Feather was not 
looking forward to the excitement of the 
long march. He was among the last to leave 

A"* 

the camp. Before he rode away, he turned 
to take a last look at the place where he 
had spent so many happy days. 

155 









The prairie tribe reached the northern 
camp before any other people. Their horses 
would not be needed for a long time, and 
so they were turned loose to graze in the 
valley where Red Feather had first seen 
them. While the boys hobbled the horses’ 
feet, the women put up the tepees and the 
men cut bark from many birch trees. This 
was to be used in the making of the canoes. 
Canoes were not needed on the prairies, be- 

156 
















cause every one had horses. But during the 
harvest season there must be a canoe for 
every two rice-gatherers. 

Soon the canoes were made. But before 
they were set floating on the water, the 
people made a great offering to Wakanda, 
the Water God. They did this so that no 
member of their tribe would be drowned. 
Then the work began. 

Star Eyes and Red Feather worked in the 
same canoe. Red Feather guided the boat 
in and out among the long, grass-like stems. 
Star Eyes tied the rice plants into small 
bundles. In this way they soon covered all 
of the space that the Chief had told them 
to take for their field. Then, returning to 
the starting place, they passed through the 
same field again. This time, as the canoe 

157 



158 














































































































glided along, Star Eyes bent the bundles 
toward her, and shook the dry grain into the 
bottom of the boat. Back and forth they 
went, until all of the rice had been gathered. 

Star Eyes and Red Feather did not often 
see the other gatherers as they worked. The 
rice grew high above their heads. But 
wherever they went, they could always hear 
voices around them. Sometimes a friend 
called out a cheery greeting to them. Some¬ 
times a maiden’s song rang high and clear 
above the chatting voices. Sometimes, in 
answer to the song, a young man’s chotun- 
kah, or flute, warned them that evening was 
drawing near. 

Often Red Feather called aloud the song 
that he had learned from the kingfisher. 
When the answer came, now from near by, 

159 



now from far away, Red Feather knew that 
Black Hawk was still at work. That was 
their secret call. Sometimes the gatherers 
heard new sounds of feasting on the shore. 
Then they knew that other tribes were ar¬ 
riving for the harvest. 

“Red Feather/’ said Star Eyes one morn- 
ing when her rice had been gathered, “to¬ 
day we must carry our grain to be hulled. 
I had hoped that you would be among the 


160 



















young men who hull the rice, but the Chief 
says that you are not yet old enough.” 

“Then Black Hawk and I shall hunt for 
ducks today,” said Red Feather. 

As Red Feather and Star Eyes carried 
their rice to the hullers, they heard the songs 
of the people who had reached there before 
them. A number of round holes had been 
dug in the ground. Into these holes the 
grain had been poured. Then the young 
men, who had carefully washed their feet 
and put on new moccasins, danced up and 
down upon the rice. When the hullers had 
finished, the rice was ready to be put into 
bags and carried to the people’s homes. Red 
Feather helped Star Eyes to empty her grain 
into one of the holes, and then hurried off 
to find Black Hawk. 

161 


When the harvesting was over, the feast¬ 
ing began. Night after night the people 
of many tribes came together around a fire 
out in the open. Every one ate until he 
could eat no more. There was dancing and 
singing until late into the night. The Great 
Chief of the north had not brought his peo¬ 
ple to the rice fields that year, and so there 
was little talk of war. There was peace and 
happiness in almost every heart as the tribes 
gathered on the last day to offer thanks to 
the Great Spirit for his many gifts. 

But among the Prairie People some 
hearts were sad. For, when the tepees were 
packed and the long line of horses was 
ready to start, one little group remained be¬ 
hind, alone. Standing on the top of a hill, 

Star Eyes and Black Hawk and Red Feather 

162 


waved to their friends until the riders dis¬ 
appeared from sight. The last to wave as 
the trail turned was an old, old man. 

“Good-bye, Grandfather,” called Red 
Feather. “I hope that I may some day see 
you again.” 



163 











Wa kan tan' ka 
Zee' cha 
Ha chg' da 
So hoo' da 
Mm' da 
Mo ne do' wa 
ma' ni to 
Wa zS5' yah 
cho tun'kah 


164 
























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































